Columbia, S.C. - The South Carolina State Senate has taken a major step forward in the effort to introduce single-member districts for the Dorchester County School District 2 (DD2) elections. The bill, which passed its second reading unanimously today in the Senate, aims to address concerns that the current at-large election system does not adequately represent the diverse interests of the DD2 community.
Louis Smith, who has been at the forefront of this issue for decades, stated that "This shows that when you’re dealing with common sense legislation, all of us as Americans can come together to make it happen."
Under the current system, candidates can live anywhere within the school district and are elected by all voters in the district, regardless of where they live. This has led to concerns that certain areas of the district have been disproportionately represented, while others have been underrepresented or ignored altogether. With the final passage of H3691, the DD2 school board will be restructured into seven single-member districts, each represented by a board member who lives within that district.
This change will allow for greater representation of local interests, as well as more targeted and responsive decision-making by the school board. The bill received broad bipartisan support in the House, with a final vote of 102-0, and is now making its way through the South Carolina Senate. If final reading is passed by the Senate, the bill will mark a major step forward for DD2 residents, who will finally have the opportunity to vote for board members who are accountable to their specific communities.
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